Tuesday, March 2, 2010

What is All Appropriate Inquiry?

“All Appropriate Inquiries,” or AAI is the process of conducting due diligence or a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment to determine prior uses and ownership of a property and assess conditions at the property that may be indicative of releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances at, on, in, or to the property. The standards and practices established as comprising “All Appropriate Inquiries” are set forth in regulations promulgated at 40 CFR Part 312.

EPA recognizes two ASTM International Standards as compliant with the AAI requirements: ASTM E1527-05 “Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I EnvironmentalSite Assessment Process” and E2247-08 “Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process for Forestland or Rural Property.”